This invention relates in general to firearm barrels and deals more particularly with an improved shotgun barrel assembly for a home security weapon. It is generally recognized that a shotgun with a shot load is an ideal home security weapon. The devastating effect of such a weapon, when fired at close range, is so well known that the mere brandishment of a shotgun will usually prove sufficient to deter even the most aggressive attacker. However, if it should become necessary to fire the weapon in self-defense, it is essential that the first shot be effective to halt an assailant without placing innocent persons at risk. It is for this reason that special barrel assemblies have been developed for home security use.
An example of a special purpose barrel assembly developed for home security use is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,291 to Dabrowski, entitled Barrel Assembly for Home Security Weapon, issued Oct. 13, 1992, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The Dabrowski barrel assembly is particularly adapted to enlarge the short range shot pattern of a 0.410 bore shotgun. Such pattern enlargement improves the short range effectiveness of the weapon while reducing risk of wall penetration which could result in injury to a person or persons in an adjacent room outside of a building in which the weapon is discharged.
The popularity of larger sporting shotguns, such as the 12 gauge shotgun, has created need for a further special purpose barrel assembly particularly adapted to control the close range shot pattern of such a weapon. The sporting barrel assemblies usually provided on such larger shotguns are generally choked to maintain a compact shot pattern at close range. Consequently, the individual pellets which comprise the shot charge tend to act in concert at short range and have the effect of a substantially solid mass, which will readily pass through a wall of an average residential dwelling. However, when the short range shot pattern is spread or substantially enlarged the pellets which comprise the shot charge act individually and generally lack sufficient kinetic energy to pass through the average residential wall.
Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide a special purpose barrel assembly for use with a shotgun of larger size to enhance or enlarge the short range shot pattern of the gun and thereby render the gun more ideally suited for use as a home security weapon.